Conventional wireless communication systems often need to ensure that different wireless devices receive appropriate levels of service. For example, different wireless devices may execute applications, provide services, or perform functions that require different quality of service (QoS) levels in a wireless communication system. As a particular example, a first wireless device may provide a voice service, while a second wireless device is executing a web browser application. In this example, the first wireless device providing the voice service may require higher bandwidth and less delay than the second device executing the web browser application. As a result, the first device may require a higher QoS level than the second device. The higher QoS level may result in the wireless communication system providing a higher guaranteed throughput level with a lower latency to the first device.
Information identifying one or more QoS levels to be provided to a particular wireless device or user is often referred to as a “QoS profile” for the wireless device or user. A single wireless device may execute multiple applications, perform multiple functions, or provide multiple services, each of which requires a data flow over a wireless interface. The QoS profile for the wireless device or user identifies the expected or desired and allowed QoS level for each of these data flows. Also, a QoS policy could be established and enforced in a wireless communication system, where the QoS policy controls or affects the QoS level(s) provided to a particular wireless device, user, or data flow.
In some wireless communication systems, a base station or access network is responsible for ensuring that service is provided to a wireless device at an appropriate QoS level. However, conventional base stations and access networks typically lack the ability to store and maintain QoS profiles and policies for various wireless devices. This often makes determining the QoS level provided to various wireless devices more complex and resource-intensive.